For a number of years, platform beds, which consist of a mattress sitting on a platform, have been widely used in Europe but have not been widely accepted in the United States. A major reason for the popularity of these beds in Europe is that living quarters generally have much less space than is the case in the United States, and platform beds are more space-efficient than the conventional Hollywood-type beds which have almost totally dominated the United States market. Recently, there has been an upsurge of interest in the United States in platform beds, and this new founded popularity is generally attributed to apartment dwellers who must make more efficient use of space than home owners. In addition, platform beds blend well with modern furniture, and especially well with modular furniture that is popular in many apartment dwellings because it maximizes the use of floor space. Also platform beds have a number of other advantages over the conventional Hollywood beds. For example, the exposed legs of conventional Hollywood bed frames are a major cause of many household accidents, notably stubbed toes, and the like. Platform beds do not have exposed legs, and thus are not as likely to cause such accidents. And, because a platform bed does not have legs and sit on the floor, it totally encloses the floor space upon which it rests, and thus obviates the need to dust or vacuum underneath the bed.
The platform bed frame or platform of a platform bed, generally includes two side plates or panels, which are joined to transversely disposed end plates by conventional coupling members, such as screws and bolts, and the like. One problem with joining platform bed frames in this manner is that in some cases the screws and bolts are visible on the outer portion of the platform and detract from its appearance. Another problem is that screws and bolts are easily lost during shipment. Thus, it is desirable to fabricate side plates and end plates which have coupling members in a form which is not easily lost, and which are preferably secured on the side plates and end plates so that they may be shipped without any loose parts and in a condition whereby a consumer can merely slide the side plates and end plates together in a matter of minutes to form the platform bed.
Another problem with most prior art platform bed frames for platform beds, is that they have been usually designed to support only a mattress, and not the conventional box spring and mattress combination which is used on a Hollywood bed frame. When a conventional mattress is used on a platform bed frame, it is not as comfortable as the mattress box spring combination used on a Hollywood bed frame, because the box spring provides an extra amount of cushioning that increases the comfort of the conventional mattress. To overcome this problem, specially made mattresses have been designed for use on platform bed frames. However, these specially designed mattresses are not as readily available as conventional mattresses, and are generally more expensive. Moreover, potential users of platform beds may desire to use a mattress that they already own, and may be unwilling to spend extra money to purchase a specially-made mattress. Consequently, price and comfort considerations may deter some potential purchasers from buying platform beds. Thus, the availability of a platform bed frame which could support the conventional box spring and mattress combination, could alleviate this problem, and provide more people with a viable option of using platform beds with their consequent safety and utility advantages.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,484, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, a superior platform bed frame is disclosed that is capable of supporting a conventional mattress and box spring combination or a conventional mattress alone and includes connecting means to connect the side plates and the end plates without using screws and bolts extending into such members.
The platform bed frame comprises a pair of spaced parallel side plates having substantially identical dimensions. Each side plate includes a wall portion that defines an upper edge and a lower edge and is disposed generally vertically in relation to the floor. A generally horizontal upper member is integral with the upper edge of the wall portion, and a generally horizontal foot portion is integral with the lower edge of the wall portion for confronting the surface area upon which the platform is situated. The upper horizontal members may provide horizontal support for the frame portion of a box spring so that the box spring may be disposed directly on the platform bed frame.
The platform bed frame further includes a pair of end plates that are longitudinally spaced with respect to the side plates and extend perpendicularly between them so that the end plates and side plates together define a substantially rectangular platform bed base. Each end plate has substantially the same dimensions and includes an intermediate portion that defines an upper edge and a lower edge and is disposed generally vertically in relation to the floor. The end plates each have a generally horizontal upper arm portion that is integral with the upper edge of the intermediate portion, and a generally horizontal lower leg portion that is integral with the lower edge of the intermediate portion for confronting the surface upon which the platform is situated.
Connecting means is employed to detachably secure each of the end plates to each of the side plates to form a generally rectangular platform. The connecting means comprises a connecting bracket having separate pin members that are secured to the bracket, and extend downwardly from one face thereof, which are received in apertures provided along the upper horizontal surfaces of the side plates and the end plates. Each corner of the platform bed frame is assembled with a connecting bracket. The bracket may include means for securing a headboard to the platform in the form of a wall portion that is disposed generally vertically in relation to the floor. To provide additional support for the headboard, a generally triangular plate member may be secured at the corners in cooperation with downwardly extending flanges associated with the side plates and end plates.
Platform bed frames constructed in accordance with the above patent have achieved wide acceptance in the marketplace. The present invention is specifically directed to improve upon this particular bed frame design to facilitate manufacture of certain component parts and the assembly thereof and thereby reduce the cost of the bed frame.